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Open thread
- By Phillip Brownlee
- Posted May 16, 2007 at 1:04 a.m.
- Filed under Open thread
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118 Comments
I heard some interesting poll numbers tonight…
In November, Bush’s approval rating was something like 38% and Congress was 37%.
NOW, Bush is at 38% and Congress is 28%.
Perhaps, the Dem’s aren’t quite having the positive response they expected? Bush has repeatedly said he would sign a bill increasing the minimum wage, yet, the leaders in Congress can’t seem to put it in a bill without attaching multiple OTHER spending measures.
Could it be that the house and senate leadership for the democrats have no real ability to lead?
I should have said: “…multiple other spending measures – ergo: veto.”
Bottom line, if the democrat leadership can’t get a simple minimum wage bill passed, what CAN they do?
The public expected impeachment by now, sure they’re disappointed!
Nut,nothing gets done in congress anymore, at least nothing good. All the last republican Congress did was start an illegal war and line their pockets.
Oh yeah, they also gave us a whole new definition of corruption.
Whatever happened with Pelosi & Reeds “1st 100 days” they bragged about? Nothing but the same ole $hit. The problem isn’t Democrat or Repeblican its POLITICIAN. Strict term limits and no pay is the only cure for congress. Government is not the cure all for anything. Look at the public education system for an example, no matter how much money they throw at it we get little or no improvement.
Those 10 guys are it? The best we got? Wow, the Republicans are in trouble. My how they change on the road to the Whitehouse; the best part of the debate was watching these guys explain their prior records and their present positions. I’m so ashamed to be a Republican now if these guys are my only choices. Even Nixon was better.
Gridlock in Congress? Congress doesn’t do anything?
Music to my ears.
How about a blog entry on this:
http://www.slate.com/id/2166213?nav=ais
Alberto Gonzales, White House lackey, was implicated yesterday in showing that he helped get the President’s illegal wire-tapping program started in 2003 WITHOUT approval from the Justice Dept that he now heads!!!!
Gonzales is a pathetic stooge, but Bush should be impeached! He approved and authorized activity the Justice Department would not sign off on!
No doubt delsol, there is a wire tap on your phone right now. You better put on your crystal pyramid hat as the Martians may be landing any day now.
Of course, you could pull a Pelosi and deliver a message to Syria from Israel which Israel never authorized. Amazing that Pelosi, being a self-appointed Secretary of State for both Israel and the U.S.!!!
“All the last republican Congress did was start an illegal war and line their pockets.”Posted by: XXX | May 16, 2007 at 04:43 AM
Hey now XXX, why are you complaining? I mean Democratic Senator Feinstein’s husband got 3.9 billion in Department of Defense Contracts since the war started!!
Perhaps Feinstein keeps $90,000 in separate bundles in her freezer as well? She would need a lot of freezers to keep all those billions of dollars tucked away!
A local issue – I read this morning that Wichita is losing the bowling tournament. The reason given was lack of certainty about maintainence of Century II. This event was to be in 2011.
Now a few questions: Whay can’t our wonderful new quarter-billion $ Arena host it? How much of the uncertainty about C-II is due to discussions about dumping it to help pay for the Arena? How much of the uncertainty about funds to maintain C-II is due to the need to use even more funds to maintain the Arena?
http://www.kansas.com/212/story/71205.html
Ron Paul is the freshest face on the GOP scene. This guy actually makes since and he is bashed for it at every turn. He was the only one on the stage that seems to live in reality. Yet he was booed several times. A candidate with fresh ideas, that reminded Republicans of their heritage(ending wars not starting them, fiscal responsibility, and smaller government)gets taunted. He was right about 9/11. They attacked us because we are in their land. He posed a very good question, “how would we respond if China opened military bases in Mexico?” Dead silence was the response. Says alot about the GOP.
Ron Paul is the freshest face on the GOP scene. This guy actually makes sense and he is bashed for it at every turn. He was the only one on the stage that seems to live in reality. Yet he was booed several times. A candidate with fresh ideas, that reminded Republicans of their heritage(ending wars not starting them, fiscal responsibility, and smaller government)gets taunted. He was right about 9/11. They attacked us because we are in their land. He posed a very good question, “how would we respond if China opened military bases in Mexico?” Dead silence was the response. Says alot about the GOP.
Fiscal responsibility from the GOP?Surely you jest?
http://tracyphillips.instantspot.com/blog/
See ya’ll later.
Interesting comments about global water shortages.
http://stopglobalwarming.msn.com/article.aspx?&cp-documentid=4839310>1=10025
The Harris Poll. April 20-23, 2007. N=1,001 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.”How would you rate the job Republicans in Congress are doing: excellent, pretty good, only fair, or poor?”Excellent/Pretty Good 22%Only Fair/Poor 74%
Dems
Excellent/Pretty Good 35%Only Fair/Poor 58%”When it comes to the situation in Iraq, do you approve or disapprove or have mixed feelings about the way George W. Bush is handling that issue?” If “mixed feelings” or not sure: “If you had to choose, do you lean more toward approve or disapprove?”Approve 33Disapprove 64Mixed 25/7-9/07
—–
…and Tom? I see solly never answered your question, just threw up more whiney words.
I watched the debate, i thought the funniest part was Sean Hannity bewilderment that Ron Paul won the phone poll.
You know the repukes are in trouble when Ron Paul is the sanest man on the platform…
Government Indoctrination Campalso known asPUBLIC SCHOOL STUPIDITY
But no one ever claimed teachers were smart.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/05/16/faked.attack.ap/
[quote]“He decided to pretend there was someone shooting a gun. The children were called into the common area and told there were two men driving around shooting randomly. Then a teacher told the students to “do a code red” — a school emergency drill — and they got under the tables and turned off the lights.
Another teacher drove a car up to the building and flashed the headlights while a third put a sweat shirt over her head and rattled the doors. That’s when some of the children started crying.”[end quote]
Mike beat me to it on Ron Paul.
The “debate” last night showed that we live in a pseudo-republic / pseudo-democracy comprised of what Noam Chomsky and other integritous analysts call “manufactured consent”.
The capitalists have decided that Republicans are going to have “a choice” in spring 2008. Mitt Romney or Rudolph Guliani. The first is a hectomillionaire club member, the latter a high-ranking employee staff officer. John McCain is a shill, put up to make it appear that “an independent-minded guy” has a chance.
Ron Paul was not given half as many questions as the three “frontrunners”. Nevertheless, he gave thoughtful, conservative answers. He tried to explain that 911 happened because we have made enemies in the Middle East by our presence there for a long time. Guliani interjected, out-of-turn, and said that argument was absurd. The Fox team let him make this retort, even though this violated the debate’s format.
After the debate ended, Fox posted a phone-in poll during after-debate interviews conducted by Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes with all the candidates. Within a half-hour Paul was the winner, and his numbers held up all during the next hour until the post-debate show ended. (Phone-in polls are not scientific. But for someone without a massive campaign machine, it is highly improbable to get the most votes through phone-in “spamming”.)
Paul 30% Romney 27% Guliani 16% McCain 9%.
When Paul came on (he was ca. 3rd last to be interviewed), Colmes asked a couple good questions and let Congressman/physician Paul answer them. Jack ass Hannity asked a question, let Paul give the first part of a response, and then Hannity interrupted another question, only allowed another few words response, then interrupted again, and in a 90 period did about 75% of the talking, not asking questions, really, but propagandizing.
Nice hatchet Job Faux News.
Paul was able to show Hannity’s ignorance by posing a question of his own, on the issue of torture and “enhanced interrogation”,
“Do you know where waterboarding comes from.”
(Hannity sitting stupidly silent)
“It was invented during the Spanish Inquisition. Do we really want to turn back the clock 500 years?”
The truth is, the “consent manufacturers” really don’t want the American public TO THINK. The intelligentual community has discussed the phenomenon that when you get into war, you tend to take on characteristics of your enemy. “Fight fire with fire.” We’re being degraded into Dark Ages behavior, in fighting a medieval society.
Paul won the poll because he reached people who were educated and concerned. Romney and Guliani lost the poll because debate-watchers realized that most of the questions and answers were just repetitions of the MSNBC debate, and were not instructive. Brownback made principled points defending his anti-abortion position–if fetuses are humans, you don’t kill them, not if you want to be a society of life. McCain, a POW victim of torture, made a principled, and experience-based argument against it. The “enhanced interrogation” proponents had zero military experience, let alone the experience of being tortured.
I think the public concluded that the manufactured “frontrunners” were just chanting their well-rehearsed mantras. Yawn.
Paul’s thoughtful comments resonated with many people inspired more of them to call in.
For example, the Bush propaganda in the wake of 9/11 was that the terrorists hate democracy and want to take away Americans’ freedoms. But thinking people realize that this is empty rhetoric. These mostly-Saudis didn’t learn to hate America to the point of attacking it by dry reading of anti-American textbooks. How many Americans know that for decades America took the lion’s share of Saudi oil revenues? How many know that the Bechtel Corporation orchestrated the construction of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital city? How many Americans know that the Kingdom of Saud was manufactured by American oil interests to control the population, i.e. to protect America’s oil-extraction industry in Saudi Arabia from local inhabitants?
MarkI could not agree more. We don’t want to look at the real reasons why we were attacked. Ron Paul is actually a republican that I would vote for. I would vote for him over Hillary. But the GOP will stonewall this guy every chance they get. He would inspire the country to come together and heal. But thats against the GOP agenda. They want to divide the country into Patriots and Pussies. This won a couple of elections for them and now it is the way to go. Ronald Reagan is rolling over in his grave looking at the candidates and their agendas. Ron Paul is an intelligent man that provides thought invoking arugments. The GOP wants robots to run around and scream the sky is falling, 9/11 9/11.
GS,You left out the best (and your fav) part.IT’S CLINTON’S FAULT!!!!
If “they hate us for our freedoms” were a valid argument, the Netherlands would be a border-to-border ash heap.
“Mark,” I have a suspician we disagree on the specifics of just about every issue you can name, but you absolutely nailed it with your assessment of Faux Noise Channel’s handling of the Republic Party debate Tuesday night.
Although the GOP claims to be an advocate of conservatism, it’s really all breast-beating and rationalizations. In 2000, the Republic’s most articulate, most passionate, and most able spokesman for what the GOP supposedly stands for was Allen Keys. If he’d been running in a party of principles, he’d have been their nominee.
But, no. The Republics selected the candidate who promised no foreign wars without an exit strategy, no nation-building, no deficit-spending… and didn’t mean it a whit. Because they knew with Shrub/Cheney, oil companies would generate huge profits, the super-rich would enjoy tax-cut windfalls, and faggots wouldn’t be able to marry.
Imagine just how free of Middle East oil America might have been if we’d invested half-a-trillion dollars into alternative fuels, rather than subsidizing Dick Cheney’s “blind” trust.
All the debates (Dems and Gops)so far have been for the most part a “dog and pony” show ….. very little of substance seems to have come from them —- well save for Paul — he certainly was different, not necessarily wrong … McCain seems to be doing more damage to himself than help …
Absent in all the debates was any intelligent debate on an effective energy policy – that would get us free of dependence of foreign oil. No one seems to have endorsed a high fuel efficiency standard for all vehicles — Bill Bradleys book indicates that if we adopted a European standard of what 30-35 mpg we would be totally independent of foreign oil — is there a reason other than mass / weight that prohibits a big SUV from getting more than 10-15 mpg?
That was a brilliant post, Mark. Absolutely brilliant.
This is exactly the kind of analysis we don’t get from our media, from our history books . . . we don’t get it anywhere except perhaps from a few graduate level polical science or history classes in colleges here or there.
Most Americans can’t name five middle eastern countries, but they “know” that “Muslims hate us for our freedoms.”
They have never been educated in the simple history of Western hegemony in the region:
* Overthrowing the duly-elected Muslim government of Lebanon and installing a Christian one, thus insuring many decades of bloody insurrection and war which is still continuing today.
* Overthrowing the duly-elected government of Iran (see “Operation Ajax”) and installing a FEUDAL MONARCHY under the Shah of Iran. The people who benefitted were, of course, private western oil multinationals. So much for the damned lie that America “fights for democracy.”
* Protecting and supporting Zionist Israel no matter what egregious outrage it perpetrates on the indigenous Palestinian population. The same UN resolutions that Worst. President. Ever. used to justify invading Iraq have been completely ignored when it comes to the Zionist holocaust against the Palestinians.
* When the Palestinians ELECTED Hamas leaders in a free and fair election, the US led a coalition to cut off all trade, ties, and financing of said government. This embargo caused a crisis that led to a collapse of the Palestinians’ first elected governtment.
So much for “supporting democracy.”
* Saddam Hussein was a staunch American ALLY under Reagan-Bush. After the much ballyhooed “Saddam gassed his own people in Halabja!” Reagan-Bush continued to support him, even to the point of vetoing a Congressional boycott to punish Iraq for using chemical weapons.
It wasn’t until Saddam nationalized the oil fields that he became “the butcher of Baghdad.”
Heh, no surprise there. We only have ONE interest in the Middle East and it never varies–access and control of the oil.
* The “Saudi” in Saudi Arabia is named after the Saudi family. It’s like calling our country “Bush America.” There’s probably no more sickening photograph than this one http://www.flickr.com/photos/fiiker/10933605/showing George W. and some Saudi “prince” kissing and holding hands.
American that gave the world democracy is reduced to this kind of fawning and scraping when a tin-pot “king” comes bearing oil.
* The US was subjected to Al Qaeda terrorism as soon as the first Gulf War ended (1991-2) and the United States under H.W. Bush and then Secr’y of War Dick Cheney reneged on their promise not to keep American troops in Arabia “one day longer than necessary.” In 1993, Arab terrorism started and culminated in the destruction of the WTC on 9-11.
Now, of course, Bush did quietly pull the troops out. So, when Worst. President. Ever. says the terrorists will never “win,” he already wrong. They succeeded in their main goal, getting the troops out of Arabia.
These are the simple facts of the case.
You can draw different conclusions from these facts if you want; that’s not the issue.
The issue is why Americans are kept in such an information vacuum regarding our past actions in the Middle East and the perfectly logical consequences they spawn.
LTP,
Was that really necessary? Do you use the “n” word too?
“The intelligentual community has discussed the phenomenon that when you get into war, you tend to take on characteristics of your enemy.”
I agree Mark. That was a brilliant post. And the above quote? Doesnt the Art of War say to chose your enemies carefully? Is this why?
Case in point? The American Taliban.
He meant it as “that’s what THEY say.”
LTP is on our side.
“The GOP wants robots to run around and scream the sky is falling, 9/11 9/11.”
Heheheh Mike. I guess fleetwood finally got the republics to agree with him.
“EVERYBODY PANIC”!!!!!
“Tom” –
Yeah, it was really necessary. I was speaking to the Repubic Party’s true beliefes.
So, in that context I assert: The only-est reason Allen Keyes wasn’t the GOP nominee for president in 2000 is that Keyes was, to them, a nigger.
Sometimes the word has to be used. And this is one of those times. It may not be politically correct. It may be uncomfortable to address.
But you have to admit that Allen Keyes was right (sometimes, far-right) on every substantive issue the Republic Party claims as its “principles.” And he was articulate in making his case for Republic Party conservatism.
Why didn’t they nominate him?
There’s only one reason: the N-word.
But it’s dishonest to say “the N-word” when the truth is profoundly obvious: Southern Republicans wouldn’t vote for a “Nigger.” You know it. I know it. Everyone knows it.
Try out your best Claude Raines; tell us you’re, “shocked, SHOCKED!!!” but you know in your heart why Allen Keyes was a non-starter in the 2000 presidential primaries. It was only because of his pigmentation.
I agree LTP. But you’re waving a red flag in front of the bulls when you use THAT word.
It’s the most loaded of loaded words.
You’re gonna get flamed, dude.
Imagine a country where the nominees of the major parties were Paul and Gravel. With Dennis as the third party spoiler.
I still think the smartest and most honest guy for the dems was Gravel. Same with Paul for the republics.
But of course, with the MSM ridiculing their every word, voters will conclude no one supports them and so a vote for them is a wasted vote.
Low congressional approval? Folks thought they were voting for change. Seems like they arent getting it. DLC, RNC, frontrunners of both parties.
As GMC would say, meet the new boss same as the old boss. Ike was right. They all serve the same masters of the MIC.
LTPAs a black man I would normally be offended by your use of the word “nigger”. However, in this instance you are right. The right will never endorse a black candidate for president. When the question was posed last night they danced around it like it was disco night. Ron Paul was a bright spot in a room of darkness. They should be proud that this guy is running. Instead they pigeon hole him and cut him off at every chance. Until we take his advice and start looking at the real reasons behind Islamic terrorism then we will never “win” this war.
The only-est reason Allen Keyes wasn’t the GOP nominee for president in 2000 is that Keyes was, to them, a n____.
That is so much BS that your eyes must be albino after dropping that much brwon stuff.
There were plenty of reasond Keyes wasn’t the Nominee’
1) as a Christian man who professed his beliefs, and thought they mattered, he was ridiculed by the left and was not electable
2) as a pro-lifer, he was ridiculed and hated by the left and was not electable
3) as one who had little if any political experience, he was non electable.
Man, get a grip. not everybody that wears the Republican label hates blacks and wouldn’t vote for him because he was black.
Frankly, I don;t give a damn what color you are, or what sex you are. I only care if you can do the job. And if you make the excuse that “people won;t vote for me because I’m black” You can’t do the job
Interesting lj. If it is true that these are reasons keys wasnt nominated:
1) as a Christian man who professed his beliefs, and thought they mattered, he was ridiculed by the left and was not electable
2) as a pro-lifer, he was ridiculed and hated by the left and was not electable
3) as one who had little if any political experience, he was non electable.
Why did they nominate bush? Number one? check. Number two? check. And number three? He was a one term governor of a state. His only elected office.
If those were valid reasons for not nominating keys, it’s funny to me that they were EXACTLY the reasons they DID nominate the shrubster. No?
Not true LTP, the only reason Allan Keyes get the Republican nomination is that no one knew who the hell he was.
Keyes also drew the ire of homosexuals by describing their situations “homosexuality was based on “selfish hedonism.”
No doubt the man is intelligent and an extraordinary power in the Diplomatic world, but it was the MSM that didn’t allow him a foot in the door, not the Republicans.
Besides, he was running against Bob Dole of Kansas, an overwhelming popular Senator. He really didn’t have a chance to get the nomination.
If those things are so similar between Bush and Keyes, I wonder what difference between them swayed the Republicans? Hmmmmm
ksfarmgrrl-
As I recall, Keyes was a one note speaker, and that note was abortion. As I said, he had no political experience. Being the governor of one of the largest states is at least one hell of a lot more experience tha none. Were there people who wouldn;t vote for him because he was black? Sure. Are there Democrats that wouldn’t vote for Obama because he is black? Sure. My point was that was not THE reason he didn;t get the nomination, as was asserted.
Where Keyes now Repub?He may be just what your party needs to be competitive this time around.
Since Republican did not respond to this before, I’m re-posting it here for everyone’s enjoyment.
Point of clarification–
I don’t “mock” Republican’s self-proclaimed disability nor do I call him a “leech.”
I DO call him a hypocrite for availing himself of government help while ridiculing OTHERS who need the same kind of government aid for even better reasons.
Anyone remember Republican’s many slams against “the nanny state?”
But in all fairness, Republican contradicts himself so much that it’s hard to know what he thinks when.
For instance, a week or so ago he crowed that he had medical coverage so that his drugs were cheap and ridiculed those who “didn’t plan ahead” like he did.
Later, he claimed that his insurance cost some 500 dollars a month and he had a hard time covering his costs.
He also never explained why someone with a military disability isn’t covered by the VA, even though he was asked repeatedly.
First, he is unemployable because of his disability. Then, he implies that he does have an employer and works on-line.
You can’t keep up with the changing stories. After awhile, you just have to assume that EVERYTHING the guy says is just total bullsh*t. Nothing rings true.
Okay. My lightbulb is dimming once again. Some will say that is not unusual, so go ahead and blat me for it.. Anyway, the choice was not between Bush and Keyes, but Dole. So, while I thought Dole essentially a lame duck, he was much more popular and well known. And the party elite thought it was his “due” after so many years of service, and knowing they in all likelhood they would not win the election anyway. Some of the lightbulb still glows, reminding me once in awhile of it’s former glory.
But lj, you miss my question.
If those are the multiple reasons keyes wasnt nominated, why are they the very reasons bush WAS nominated?
If they were negatives for keyes, why were they NOT negatives for bush?
Didnt keyes also run against bush?
Numbers one and two also apply to dole, who was just as much anti choice as bush or keyes.
ksfarmgrrl-I checked, he did indeed run against George Bush in 2000. I think he was percieved as a bit player, and discounted, by both the media and the political machine. Hell, I don;t know why the majority voted the way they did. I know lots of my friends supported him in his bid, just because of his staunch anti-abortion positio I did not. He was to me principled man, but had no political experience. I went with what I beleived to be principalled men with political experience.
Wrong Capn, I never did write how much I pay in additional insurance premiums. That was YOUR entry. It’s an old tired tactic you utilize Capn, to come up with quotes of people that never happened.
I never said I couldn’t be covered by the VA. I could go in today and get seen by the VA if I wanted. I just don’t like their ’style’ of medical care. I prefer the Active Duty Docs, because for one, they are usually younger than VA Docs and are up to date on medical treatment and care.
Availing myself government help Capn? As I said I could have gone against medical advice, often referred to as AMA in the medical world and been labeled as non-insurable by any medical coverage. How stupid would that be?
Yes, there are people that don’t plan Capn. They go out and get six year car loans, bigger mortgages than they can handle and load their house up with 50 inch wide-screens, ipods and many other convenient items that are not necessary to keep on with life.
The only changing story is what comes from you Capn and how you revise the comments of others for your communist style of propaganda.
It’s good that you named yourself after a cartoon character Capn, because you have absolutely zero credibility because of your consistent lies, revisions of the truth and conspiracy driven drivel.
ksfarmgrrl–It may have also had to do with the moderates of the parry not appreciated comments like this:
“culture evil enough to destroy the very soul and heart of my country? I can’t do this. And I will not make a false gesture,” Keyes said.[12]
Keyes was also criticized for his views on homosexuality. In an interview with Michelangelo Signorile, a gay radio host, Keyes said homosexuality was based on “selfish hedonism.” When Signorile asked if Mary Cheney, Vice President Dick Cheney’s lesbian daughter, was a selfish hedonist, Keyes replied, “Of course she is. That goes by definition.”[13]
I think there are lots of reasons why people don;t get elected.
Keyes and his wife disowned their daughter after she came out.
Very sad.
LTB,
You should call every Southern Republican that exists and apologize.
The most asinine assertion is the race card.
Alan Keyes for all his political failures doesn’t deserve that realization.
If people think that way and vote, they are the ones who should lose their voter privileges.
The challenge of decency, treating people with respect of character.
Those are illegitimate characters your describing. Doesn’t matter if their a bank official, school administrator, police officer, lawyer or Judge. Pastor, dog catcher or cop.
Using race as a definer, those people suck and they know it! They know racism is wrong but still do it?
Does anyone legitimize an out and out racist as a good person?
You shouldn’t categorize a group of people that way and use Alan Keyes as the scapegoat.
He wasn’t well defined for the job leave it at that.
They are talking about a survey of Democrats where the question was did Bush know about 9-11 before it happen? 35% said he did. Now considering what I had at first believed about the Bush administration. When this was first suggested, I stopped and thought about the possibility a couple of years ago. As farfetched as what I was thinking, even I could not wrap my head around it. Did some in the administration see 9-11 as the excuse they needed to take down Saddam? Yes it has been said by more then one person that shortly after the attack that it was seen that way. But NO, I do not have any reason to think that Bush knew about it or was a direct or indirect part of it.
I would not be surprised to learn there were some outside of Al-Qaeda knew that something was going to happen and remained quiet. But they would have been outside of the U.S. Government. Yes I have heard about the Israeli knowing, but other then some loose evidence. There is nothing provable, there is more to lead to that being believable then Bush knowing about it.
I think it is time for a third major political party. I think the average, moderate American needs someone that represents them.
There needs to be someone to speak for those in the middle that do not want to get caught up in highly devisive far-left and far-right issues and would rather target making progress on the things that we can actually have an impact on.
I think we need a resurrection of the WHIG party (maybe with a more 21st century marketing name, though).
Who’s with me?
Alan Keyes sure as hell knew all the issues the Republic Party faithful *claim* they believe in.
Keyes was the most articulate advocate of those issues.
Keyes had foreign policy experience (which Shrub did not). Keyes’ social agenda was chapter and verse of what the Republic Party faithful *says* it believes in. He was articulate and specific in economic policies that supposedly define traditional conservatism.
Ah! But he was “unelectable?!”
Either his policies are flawed or the candidate was flawed. What was Alan Keyes’ “flaw?”
For Republics, the only flaw was pigmentation.
I sometimes use the term “nigger” because it is a word that, like shit itself, is always around us and no one wants to talk about.
There’s a tremendous whispering campaign — and I won’t say it’s from the Democrats or the Republics — that seeks to undermine Barak Obama’s quest for the presidency.
But the difference between the Democrats in 2007 and the Republicans in 2000 is that the Democrats are taking Obama seriously. In 1996 and 2000 Republics were presented with a candidate who best articulated the “principles” the Republics *said* they advocated.
And they rejected theirs and Alan Keyes’ “principles,” for no other reason than Alan Keyes had the wrong shade of skin.
So, if the Democrat party rejects Obama, it is because he has the wrong shade of skin? Or is it only Republicans that are rascist?
The use of “that” word offends me every time I hear it. I am old enough to remember a time when calling a black person a “n*gg*r” was the absolute worst thing you could say.
The word itself fills me with disgust. I hate it when I hear it in rap songs. I hate it when I hear black people refer to themselves with that terminology. I hate it when I hear it in any context.
I respect the right of blacks to use that term in reference to themselves or another black person, but I certainly do not like it. It is a word that I wish would go away.
To me, it represents some of the worst periods in the history of this country.
Littlejohn,
I’ve walked door-to-door in at least half the House districts in Sedgwick County, and talked to thousands of voters. I tell you from personal experience that there are plenty of racists in the Democratic party. It’s quite sad.
WS – I don’t like the word, either, but it is rampant in the Deep South.
They don’t really pronounce the “r” at the end, however.
Funny story, though. My late father in law was from way down South, but was working on a union sheetmetal job in Colorado some twenty years ago. He was a nice man -but he used the ‘n’ word.
One day, he ran into three black men on the jobsite and waved and hollered something like, “Hey, you nigga’s, how ya’ll doin’?” Next day he got called into the BA’s office – and there was talk of firing him. While he was in there – the three black men walked in – and explained to the BA that my father-in-law was ‘one of them,’ just another good old boy from the South and that they were good friends.
They loved him. He loved them.
It’s too bad we can’t get past this word obstruction – and see what’s inside a person.
At my father in law’s funeral 7 years ago – the little churchyard was overflowing with people saying their last goodbyes. At least a third were black.
He was a good man, but he said ‘nigga.’
And it didn’t matter a bit.
Republican says above that “Wrong Capn, I never did write how much I pay in additional insurance premiums. That was YOUR entry. It’s an old tired tactic you utilize Capn, to come up with quotes of people that never happened . . . The only changing story is what comes from you Capn and how you revise the comments of others for your communist style of propaganda.”
And here’s what you posted on May 8th:
“Even on normal treatment, like the constant care of old wounds that pop open now and then, wound care management costs me about $500.00 of out of pocket expenses, even though I am covered by two different medical insurances.” (Posted by: Republican | May 08, 2007 at 09:52 PM)
Above you say that “I could go in today and get seen by the VA if I wanted.”
But on the 8th you write that “Like it or not I have to pay for Medical and Dental Insurance out of my own pocket. And, I always pay something to a Medial Provider even though I have insurance. Those so-called low co-pays can turn out to be quite expensive.”
Let’s all just sit back and savor the flavor of Republican caught in blatant lies, shall we . . .
Ah, sweet!
“littlejohn” –
I’m not sure Barak Obama is by-far the best spokesman of what the Democratic Party says it stands for.
In fact, part of the Democratic Party’s primary election process is a determination of what the party believes in.
Alan Keyes had a tremendous advantage in 1996 and 2000; the Republic Party had *declared* all it was they supposedly believed in. With a Republic majority in Congress and the opportunity to win the White House from Democrats (both in 1996 and 2000), the Republic Party ran away from its “principles.” In 2004 and urban/rural state, Illinois, didn’t even have the race issue to consider (unless you consider “tint”), but rejected Alan Keyes’ because the Republic Party’s “principles” were deemed too far-right.
And that, ultimately, is my point.
*IF* the Republic Party’s “principles” had anything to do with their success at the polls, Alan Keyes would have been their ideal candidate. Either the Republics rejected him in 1996, 2000, and 2004 because they really don’t believe in their “principles,” or there was another factor involved. You know: pigmentation.
And you know something else about that May 8th post?
Do old wounds “pop open?”
What, you’re at a funny movie and you laugh too hard, and damn, a rib comes unstuck and pokes out through your solar plexus?
I never heard of wounds “popping open” once they’re healed.
Maybe you could clarify this medical mystery for us . . .
Either the Republics rejected him in 1996, 2000, and 2004 because they really don’t believe in their “principles,” or there was another factor involved. You know: pigmentation.
Posted by: Long Time Poster, First Time Lurker | May 16, 2007 at 04:18 PM
I reject your either/or argument, but it is sensless to argue. You are convinced that Republicans are rascist, and denied Alan Keyes Presidential bid on that basis. I am a Republican, and tell you it ain’t so. We will not come to agreement. keep you bias. It works for you.
brian,
I’m with you with a third party process somehow. The White House should be cross party filled. Staff from both parties.
President and Vice President from different parties.
Mayor of New York Bloomberg/Senator of Neb. Hagel is not a third party.
Cross party is the key to defeating the ideologies from the far left and right.
I’m not far left to want troops home from Iraq today. They should shame Bush and stay over there in that quaqmire trying to survive until Bush leaves office. Its great for him they pull out in 08, no matter how its done.
Colin Powell should be part of cross party ticket. With who? What Dem?
Obama vs Hillary…Dems will choose Obama because he represents a possible future. Hillary has baggage that can be exploited.
If its a racial choice some use, to not pick Obama for President, that will be evident.
Some racists don’t want the neighbors to know.
The world wants America to place Obama as a choice. His life story is international and multicultural.
Republicans want Bush policies to continue? How different are the Republicans candidates from Bush?
Many Republicans can vote for Democrats. They hate what Bush has done. Hated Congress when it was Republican control because many members got caught in scandals.
Bush staff under threat losing their jobs, aren’t following Republican supposed “principles”.
Republican politicians aren’t supposed to lie, cheat or steal.
“littlejohn”
So, in other words…you’ve got nothin’.
Capn, you’re so obsessed with me, I’m beginning to wonder if you are not a homosexual. Maybe you should seek council with Tom on the matter about your constant pursuit of me.
And don’t give that excuse about being married. Just maybe you’ve been in the closet all these years.
This Blog isn’t about me Capn and no one gives a crap any information you might think you know about me or don’t know about me. You are one squirly dude that seems to have an obsession with me -perhaps to a homosexual interest.
And to correct your deficient reading comprehension, I said wound care management costs me at the very minimum about $500.00, not medical insurance.
Evidently you don’t know much about scarring Capn or you would never make such an uninformed statement. Ask any burn or trauma victim about constant attention needed for their scars.
Discuss the issues, not me Capn. Of course, you probably won’t because you are obsessed on who you think I am or might be.
I think if you did some research on Mr keyes you find he generally is way, far to the right of the vast majority of republicans, that why he doesn’t win hes not winning any friends when he calls Cheney a bad parent for having a Lesbian Daughter(later on he found out he did too). And while there is a small tiny section of Republicans who support racist policy they also have no support from mainstream Republicans.
“littlejohn”
So, in other words…you’ve got nothin’.
Posted by: Long Time Poster, First Time Lurker | May 16, 2007 at 04:28 PM
yea. you’re right. I was wrong, ALan Keyes didn;t get the nomination because he was black. All blacks ar repressed and oppressed by white republicans.you win. revel in it. Bathe yourself in it. Believe it. You win
Republican,
You accuse Capn of being gay like it’s some sort of curse.
Why is that?
‘NASA Finds Vast Regions of West Antarctica Melted in Recent Past’http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/arctic-20070515.html“A team of NASA and university scientists has found clear evidence that extensive areas of snow melted in west Antarctica in January 2005 in response to warm temperatures.This was the first widespread Antarctic melting ever detected with NASA’s QuikScat satellite and the most significant melt observed using satellites during the past three decades.Combined, the affected regions encompassed an area as big as California.”
I hate the N word too, and find it unacceptable in any useage, slang, music, anything.
Yeah, heh, good one, Tom.
Actually, Republican, I’m not good looking enough to be gay.
Nice spin, though–trying to distract from the inconsistencies (lies) of your posts and making it all about me.
Better be careful though . . . wouldn’t want you to pop a wound open.
But I will ask Heartlander next time he’s on if any of what you say regarding “wound care management”–what that is and why it differs from health care–makes any sense.
I’m betting that it will make as much sense as your attempt to snow us with your computer lingo.
How’d that work out for ya, hehehehe.
No need Capn, just stop by Wesley Medical Center and the building on the East side; the Wound Care management Clinic is right there.
You are not only a belligerent Capn, you’re a stupid one.
It is a curse Tom, else you wouldn’t need to form an organization like yours to gain ‘equal’ rights.
“littlejohn”
So, in other words…you’ve got nothin’.
So I guess being black is a curse, and being a woman is a curse…afterall, we all had to form organizations for being what we are to gain rights…
I guess the RR organizations like Churches, and the Moral Majority…are curses too? What about disability organizations…what about AARP and disabled VET orgs (aren’t you part of any of those)?
Repub, that had to be the doozy of the day!
According to some, being anything other than a while male heterosexual is a curse.
Too bad for them that they are rapidly becoming a minority.
Hope this can clear up any questions about Veterans Benefits, especially Disabled Veterans benefits –
Disability compensationhttp://www.military.com/benefits/military-pay/va-disability-compensation
VA Benefits for Disabled Veterans:http://www.military.com/benefits/veterans-health-care/veterans-health-care-overview
Several links in each that will probably answer any questions you might have —
Well Political Mom, being disabled is definitely a curse I can tell you that first hand.
Skin pigmentation, sexual preference and being a “women” becomes a curse when they claim victim status and play that status 24/7. Then It becomes a curse.
Having to deal with a disability 24/7 even to do simple things that people do normally with ease is far more troublesome than what all these ‘cursed’ people go through.
But, some people like playing victim so they can get more attention.
Personally, I’m a little slow at the walk and have trouble with other manual dexterity things, but as they say on the Country Channel, “gitter done!”
I might add Ken on the VA compensation tables that being medically retired I don’t get any extra pay from the VA.
What happens is that the rating I’m assigned is declared tax free from my military retired pay. So there is no extra pay coming to me from the VA.
Our lovely Congress saw fit to change that many years back.
GS >>> I’ve kept my keyboard trap shut all day today, and just been reading… BUT… I dont care HOW you choose to spin it, the “N” word, with, or without an R on the end… is just plain RACIST…. I, for one, wont permit the word to be used on my premises… or in my congregations… or in any business I am a part of… It is a word that has NO PLACE in the language of TODAY…. it is a part of a VERY UGLY past… And, if you choose to defend it, why not go find yourself one of the “white power” web sites, where people will actually think you are a nominee for sainthood… POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!! of all colors, of all tribes, of all nations!!!
Republican,
I don’t find my sexual orientation to be a “curse.” It’s just who I am. I also refuse to be a “victim,” as you so eloquently accuse.
The only “curse” I see around me is the self-imposed lifestyles of bigotry, intolerance, and self-righteous dogmatism. I’m very glad those aren’t curses I suffer from.
REPUB — I agree with you on disability being a curse… BUT, if I were you, I would keep my curse off of the blog, or you will find it biting you even worse… Some folks cant resist the urge to milk a response out of you… and I am not naming ANYBODY on here at this time… I think people here just want some explanations for your seemingly contradictory statements… And that too, might be a good reason to keep your disability off the blog… Then you wont have to explain it… Just say it once, and let it go at that… Just some advice from one who has walked that path for many years now…
Tom — Lets all hope and pray that some of that intolerance and self-righteous dogmatism has now passed on, with the passing of Mr. Falwell…
Perhaps new doors will begin to open with his passing into silence… And then again, alas, maybe not…
grace N peace, friend!!
Advocating for equality no matter what the ’status’ is not playing a victim. It’s being proactive to stop victimization. Your definition of victim is beyond the pale.
Tell me, since when did the word ‘victim’ get such a negative connotation? She’s a victim of MS..he’s a victim of rape….
It slays me that someone would use that word as a means of belittling someone who has no control over what has happened to them.n.One who is harmed or killed by another: a victim of a mugging.A living creature slain and offered as a sacrifice during a religious rite.One who is harmed by or made to suffer from an act, circumstance, agency, or condition: victims of war.A person who suffers injury, loss, or death as a result of a voluntary undertaking: You are a victim of your own scheming.A person who is tricked, swindled, or taken advantage of: the victim of a cruel hoax.
Right on, P-Mom…
1. One who is harmed or killed by another: a victim of a mugging.2. A living creature slain and offered as a sacrifice during a religious rite.3. One who is harmed by or made to suffer from an act, circumstance, agency, or condition: victims of war.4. A person who suffers injury, loss, or death as a result of a voluntary undertaking: You are a victim of your own scheming.5. A person who is tricked, swindled, or taken advantage of: the victim of a cruel hoax.
So what kind of victims are women?
So what kind of victims are women?Posted by: Republican | May 16, 2007 at 05:55 PM
:::blank stare:::
REPUB: I think this one pretty much says it all for the women…
“3 One who is harmed by or made to suffer from an act, circumstance, agency, or condition: victims of war.”
REPUB: Just one question… As one who has apparently fought for the freedoms of ALL of our citizens… How in God’s Name, can you be so bigoted toward some??
ALL citizens are covered by our Constitution… EQUALLY… Dont you realize that if you had been killed while in military service, you would have DIED for even those that you claim are “cursed”
My turn — :::blank stare:::
It was a simple question and Tom’s choice applies to everyone not just women.
You realize that there are people who try really hard to be victims. In fact there are attorneys that coach people how to be proper victims.
There are many organizations that survive only because of their victim hood role.
My point was that it’s only a curse if you let it be and you are only a victim because you want to be.(adults not children)
Even in times of war, a person can run away, be conquered, fight back, surrender, die, get injured or many other options there.
Again, my point where there is choice there is no reason to become a victim and advocate victim hood if a choice remains.
It’s a tad philosophical and requires actual thinking.
So, what you are saying, Republican, is that there is no discrimination or bigotry and therefore anyone that claims said is playing the victim?
Is that correct?
“5. A person who is tricked, swindled, or taken advantage of: the victim of a cruel hoax.”
I guess that makes all bush followers victims, ref: the Iraq war.
“Again, my point where there is choice there is no reason to become a victim and advocate victim hood if a choice remains.”
. . . and all liberals the ones who are actually trying to turn it around. We ain’t victims; we’re mad as hell, and we want our country back. The last election was a good start.
Go back to your really, really successful blog, boy; your masters are calling.
Don’t sugar coat it, J M Walker, tell ‘em like it is!
(Apologies to fans of the Sundance Kid.)
Ashcroft had a little more integrity than I thoughSenators renew call for Gonzales’ ouster By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press Writer37 minutes ago
WASHINGTON – Attorney General Alberto Gonzales came under renewed pressure Wednesday, as a third senator called for his resignation and Democrats challenged his truthfulness about President Bush’s no-warrant eavesdropping program.
ADVERTISEMENTThe developments revived a debate over Gonzales’ fitness to head the Justice Department a day after a former deputy attorney general recounted a dramatic hospital bedside confrontation between Gonzales and his predecessor, John Ashcroft.
Bush continued to stand by his longtime friend and adviser. “The president still has full confidence in Alberto Gonzales,” said White House spokesman Tony Snow.
However, the attorney general’s newly regained political footing in an appearance last week before a House committee seemed in doubt again.
Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that Gonzales in March 2004 — when he was Bush’s White House counsel — had tried to undermine the department he now heads by attempting to get Ashcroft to sign off on the warrantless wiretaps.
At the time, Comey — in Ashcroft’s absence — had refused to certify the legality of Bush’s eavesdropping program. Gonzales tried to go over Comey’s head by appealing directly to Ashcroft, who lay in an intensive care unit recovering from gall bladder surgery, Comey said. Ashcroft rebuffed Gonzales, Comey said.
Democrats said his testimony appeared to contradict Gonzales’ account in February 2006, when he told two congressional panels that there had “not been any serious disagreement about the program.”
“In light of Mr. Comey’s testimony yesterday, do you stand by your 2006 Senate and House testimony, or do you wish to revise it?” Democratic Sens. Russell Feingold of Wisconsin, Chuck Schumer of New York, Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Dick Durbin of Illinois asked Gonzales in a letter Wednesday.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond.
Citing Comey’s testimony, Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel (news, bio, voting record), who’s considering a presidential candidacy, became the latest Republican senator to call for Gonzales’ resignation.
“The American people deserve an attorney general, the chief law enforcement officer of our country, whose honesty and capability are beyond question,” Hagel said in a statement. “Attorney General Gonzales can no longer meet this standard. He has failed this country. He has lost the moral authority to lead.”
Asked about Hagel’s comment about Gonzales’ moral authority, Snow replied: “We disagree, and the president supports the attorney general.”
Unhappy with Gonzales, most Republicans have nonetheless largely refrained from calling for his resignation. Republicans who have urged his ouster include Sens. John Sununu (news, bio, voting record) of New Hampshire and Tom Coburn (news, bio, voting record) of Oklahoma, and House GOP Conference Chairman Adam Putnam (news, bio, voting record), R-Fla.
In addition, Sen. Pat Roberts (news, bio, voting record), R-Kan., who was chairman of the Intelligence Committee during the period Comey described, said Wednesday that Gonzales should consider stepping down.
“When you have to spend more time up here on Capitol Hill instead of running the Justice Department, maybe you ought to think about it,” Roberts told The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (news, bio, voting record) threatened Wednesday to issue more subpoenas if the White House does not cooperate with his probe of whether Bush’s White House aides, including political adviser Karl Rove, sought to improperly influence federal investigation and prosecutions.
In response to an earlier subpoena from Leahy, the Justice Department on Wednesday released nine pages of e-mails that included Rove among the recipients. The e-mails were sent Feb. 28, and included a McClatchy newspapers story about David Iglesias, the fired U.S. attorney in New Mexico.
Rove was using an e-mail address with the Internet domain name “georgewbush.com” to receive messages about the fired prosecutors, the documents show. Rove was only on the receiving end of the e-mails, which were also sent to former Justice Department chief of staff Kyle Sampson, White House counsel Fred Fielding, White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino and other administration staffers.
They were sent from J. Scott Jennings, the White House’s deputy political director. In the e-mails, Jennings reported receiving an urgent phone call from an aide to Sen. Pete Domenici (news, bio, voting record), R-N.M., to alert the White House of an announcement Iglesias was planning to make that morning.
In one e-mail, Jennings said Iglesias planned to announce that he had been contacted by two lawmakers and “urged to deliver indictments” in an election-year corruption case. The lawmakers were later disclosed as Domenici and Rep. Heather Wilson (news, bio, voting record), R-N.M., and the case involved Democrats in New Mexico. Democrats have cited Iglesias’ recounting of the calls to claim that his firing and the dismissal of other U.S. attorneys were politically motivated.
Iglesias “is allegedly going to link these phone calls with the current news — saying that he believes this ultimately led to his being asked to resign by DOJ,” Jennings wrote. He said Domenici’s aide planned to not respond to Iglesias’ claims “and hopefully make this a one-day story.”
Gonzales’ February 2006 appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee occurred just a few months after Bush publicly confirmed the eavesdropping program. In his testimony, he issued carefully worded responses to questions about the program.
“It has been reported by multiple news outlets that … Jim Comey expressed grave reservations about the NSA program and at least once refused to give it his blessing. Is that true?” Schumer asked him.
“There has not been any serious disagreement about the program that the president has confirmed,” Gonzales replied. “There have been disagreements about other matters regarding operations, which I cannot get into.”
Gonzales continued: “None of the reservations dealt with the program that we are talking about today. They dealt with operational capabilities that we are not talking about today.”
By then, Bush had relented to Justice’s objections and ordered changes to the eavesdropping program.
Looking back, Schumer stopped short of saying Gonzales lied in his testimony.
“His answer was not forthright,” Schumer told reporters Wednesday. “If you read the answer, you’d think there was general agreement about this.”
That’s not how Comey on Tuesday described the dispute.
Comey told the Senate committee that Ashcroft by early 2004 had privately identified concerns about Bush’s eavesdropping program and planned not to certify its legality as required. When Ashcroft was stricken with pancreatitis, he transferred the powers of the office to Comey — who likewise refused to certify the program.
After the hospital confrontation, the program operated for three weeks without Justice Department approval, Comey said. He said Bush subsequently agreed to changes only after he, Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller all threatened to resign.
t.
REPUB — Are you a victim of your disability, or did you CHOOSE it?? OR, if you were a slave on a plantation, and your “choices” are to continue in slavery or DIE, I suppose if you chose to remain alive, you would say the slave made his/her choice, and thus not a victim… I know its a bit philosophical… but work on it, eh???
No, I am classifying types of victims. There are victims of choice and victims of circumstance and victims with no choice. Probably other types that I haven’t thought of yet.
Let’s say there is a Ms.X, that is homosexual. She lives in Iowa and feels she is a victim of that society. She moves to San Francisco and adjusts the the more accepting society there. She through time no longer feels she’s a victim.
Let’s say you like to gamble and gamble everything you own. Are you a victim of gambling or of your own vices? i.e. some can gamble and simply walk away.
Now take a mother of four. She has to survive from welfare and subsidized housing to care for the children she had from previous intimate contacts with “boy friends.” Is she a self-inflicted victim or ?
You are driving your car 80 mph on Kellogg. An old ‘coot’ pulls on to the highway just as you zoom into the collision at full speed. As a result of the collision, you are paralyzed from the neck down. Are you victim of the accident because the old ‘coot’ merged onto the highway not seeing you at your high rate of speed or are you a self-inflicted victim because of your excessive speed?
You are one of two brothers in an African American family. Your younger brother is a Dentist now and you sit in prison. The brother who became a Dentist refused to use drugs and stayed away from gangs. Are you a victim of your environment or your choices in life?
You skate through high school never studying and the courses in college are kicking your butt, because you never learned to study. Are you a victim of the education society or are you a self-inflicted victim because you chose the easy way.
You cheat a little bit on your taxes each year and decide not to put down that ‘extra’ income you earned each year as a part time bar tender. The owner of the bar gets audited by the IRS and subsequently find you have not filed your earnings there for the past few years. They present you a bill with penalties for $7900.00. Are you a victim of an oppressive Tax Society or a victim of your own rationalizing greed.
Just some examples of how victim hood can be seen in different view points.
I can see Chas if the answer is not transparent and right in front of you, you have to assume the worst.
Have you fallen victim to your own preconceived prejudices or have you not understood that a philosophical question was at hand?
I just read a story about arena suite sales on kake.com. According to KAKE, the county is not publicly releasing the price of luxury seating. I’d like to know: WHY NOT? The people paid for this arena. It should be public record what every single seat in that arena sells for. Why won’t the news media do its job and demand answers from these thugs?
“I, for one, wont permit the word to be used on my premises… or in my congregations… or in any business I am a part of… It is a word that has NO PLACE in the language of TODAY…. it is a part of a VERY UGLY past… And, if you choose to defend it,….blah, blah, blah…”
——–
Chas, ya maroon – didn’t you read my VERY first sentence? I said I didn’t LIKE the word.
All, I’m trying to say, is that we are giving too much power to words, in general. These are consonants and vowels, arranged in certain ways. In and of themselves, they have NO value. To YOU, they have ONLY the value you allow them to have.
Yes, the word is part of a nasty past – but in today’s society it means different things. The blacks in the deep South are NOT offended and often they don’t even notice the word when spoken. The blacks in other areas use the word for themselves, but are offended when others use it. WTF? Like Oprah said – no matter WHO says it – it must stop unless everyone is allowed to say it.
It’s like gays referring to each other as ‘faggot.’ It’s not okay for anyone but them to say it. Again – WTF?
So – you’re a pastor? I should have guess that – the way you place such value on double standards.
Only a minute and a rare access to technology…. When I do finally make it back here, I want a full report on what was said about me and by who. Then? Paybacks a biatch!
J R WILL return!
Oh for crying out loud Repub, nice way to try to skew the issue.
The definitions were accurate, every one of the incidences you provided were ‘victims’. Self imposed also applies BY DEFINITION.
But that isn’t what we’re talking about here. Every single person on this planet has had something happen to them that is out of their control- which makes us ALL victims of something or someone.
However, there are situations and people who victimize others for gain. Women are victims of a society that tries to undervalue them, pay them less, impose religious restrictions upon them as inferior to men. That is a fact. Women can be victimizers too. We all can. Being a victim in one sense doesn’t mean you’re necessarily the victim in another.
When we advocate to end those forces that want to diminish women, we’re being proactive…not victims.
Just as your VV disabled veterans assns are trying to make it easier for you to live your life proactively. Whether or not you like it, you’re a “victim” of an injury too. It’s not a belittling statement.
Chas is a Pastor?
Maybe he wants to volunteer to be the unofficial WE Blog Chaplain. :)
So J M, once can be an advocate and a victim? Or does advocacy at some point take on more status and remove the victim hood?
PM – I am NOT a victim as a woman. I can only be a victim if I allow myself to be.
But I am responsible for my life – no one else.
Please don’t say women are victims with a blanket statement.
Because I refuse to exist under that blanket.
You are a victim whether you think you are or not. Just because you refuse to think it in that way, doesn’t mean it’s not true.
“You skate through high school never studying and the courses in college are kicking your butt, because you never learned to study. Are you a victim of the education society or are you a self-inflicted victim because you chose the easy way.”
Neither: you calls yourself republican.
“So J M, once can be an advocate and a victim?”
I really don’t know. Is that once or twice, or do you keep repeating yourself? I know it’s a bit deep, but go back to high school, apply yourself for a change, and you might just be able to figure it out.
Looks like it’s “Hell No, Prince Harry can’t go”, this is a war for the commoners!http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070516/ap_on_re_eu/britain_prince_harry
G.S.,If a woman gets under the blanket, how does that make her a victim?
I don’t like to the term “victim”, I prefer “challenged”…we’re all challenged in one way or another and it’s up to us how much we want to get out of our comfort zone and jump over the hurtles that get in our way. We can’t always contol what happens to us, but as adults we can almost always control how much it affects our lives.
……like Matthew Shepard. The 110 pound gay young man should have just gone all Bruce Lee on the two cowboys that beat the crap out of him and left him tied to a fence post in sub-freezing weather on the open plains in Wyoming.
He didn’t have to be a victim.
I don’t think we’re discussing “victimhood” in those terms. Of course things happen that we have no control over…I didn’t choose to be a cancer “victim”…I refused to be called that. I’m a survivor, not a victim. I guess if it kills me then I would consider myself a “victim”.
It’s all semantics Mary. I’m asking, WHY is the word given such a negative connotation? Because people like Repub have made it stand for someone who feels they have no power over any aspect of their life, or perpetually put themselves in the position to be used or hurt. And there isn’t a bit of truth about it.
GS — YOU defended your father in law using the “N” word… Even claimed that some black workers apparently kept him from being fired…
It is THAT defense to which I am objecting…
And NO it is NOT OK for blacks to use the word among themselves… And it is NOT OK for gays to use the word Faggot among themselves…
REPUB — Every one of your case scenarios (situations for those in rio lindo) there is NO victim… Maybe ignorance and stupidity, and not victims…
E.G., Your gambling story… Some can gamble and walk away… Some cant… The way for the gambler addict to be a VICTIM… is if somebody else… say, one of us, takes advantage of that addict, and causes him/her to LOSE it all to our benefit… THEN he is a victim… not of his gambling… but of our devious act against him/her…
Whats the matter?? You didnt like my story of the slave on the plantation, or of your own disability?? Cant handle those, huh?? Like I said, it is a philosophical problem… think on it a while… it will come to you…
GS — IF you are going to quote me, leave out the “blah, blah, blah…” I dont use that kind of junk language.. I learned not to do that working on at least one of my three degrees… I think the first one…
Those who tend to identify themselves as victims often stay stuck in that role. It’s really a matter of self perception. What’s the definition of being a victim? Having no control? Being at someone else’s mercy? Being unable to escape certain negative circumstances? When someone sees their life this way, it makes it really hard, if not impossible, to break out of that hopelessness. In order to affect positive change in one’s life, they have to see themselves as capable and in control of their circumstances. There is no other way to succeed.
MARY — As a co-survivor with you, you are exactly right…
But, yes, I do get real tired of so many different kinds of “victims” — self-defined, or otherwise… especially when it comes to addictions, and other medical situations… Do we NEED organizations to alert us to various problems that need attention?? YOU BET!!
Do I believe that we have certain racial or ethnic groups that have been victimized?? Absolutely…
Can we DO something about it?? I hope to God we can…
REPUB — one more… IF I get a disease, while at the time I am covered under appropriate health insurance, and DURING TREATMENT of that disease, my health insurance carrier cuts me OFF of my coverage… and I have NOT missed paying my premiums… Am I a Victim?? YES!! not of the illness… not of the society in which I live… but of the INSURANCE company… I think it is called discrimination… Try that one out and see how you do with that one…
OK one more… I am still a smoker… Hey, its hard to give up some things… Suppose I get lung cancer… I reach the rather stupid conclusion that it is somehow the tobacco company’s fault that I have lung cancer… I sue them for millions… Am I a victim of the tobacco company??
BY NO MEANS!!! I am a product of my own making… Why should I be able to blame a tobacco company for the years of my own choice to smoke… knowing the possible dangers, etc. As far as I am concerned, IF I was a judge, I would throw out ANY case against a tobacco company brought on these precarious claims that it is THEIR fault…
See, one of the problems of our times, is that somehow, our society has to find somebody to blame for everything… Truthfully, many times the blame needs to be placed where it rightfully belongs… in this case, on the smoker who chose to keep smoking… There are plenty of other examples as well… We need to start to teach our people in our society to look at themselves as the blame for many different things… instead of looking outside ourselves to find someone or something to blame it on… It’s just plain and simple, good old fashioned psychology… AND good old fashioned religion… confession, repentance, forgiveness…
Well, folks, thats all for me for today… Good nite, and GOOD luck!!!
One thing, GS — Just how is it that you are defining “double standards”?? And where have you ever seen a double standard in ANYTHING I have ever posted??
That should be interesting…
NOW… good nite, and GOOD luck
When I had cancer, my husband’s employer switched insurance companies in the middle of my treatment..I had to fight tooth and nail for every claim summitted. I made the choice that those bastards weren’t going to deny my benefits, we’d paid our preminums for over 15 yrs. They were counting on the fact that many people, especially the elderly, won’t question them when they deny a claim. They thought wrong…I think some of the tricks they tried to pull are illegal now.Sometimes you really have to fight NOT to be a victimized, there are plenty situations in life that will try to turn you into one.
I have to go, too. I need to finsh up my paperwork before tomoorow…WWWWAAAAAA!!!!! I’m a victim of my prograstination!
ksfarmgrrl’s link upthread definitely deserves a very careful read.
‘Dust Bowl: The Sequel? Are we in for a drought?’http://stopglobalwarming.msn.com/article.aspx?&cp-documentid=4839310>1=10025
And for the VICTIMS on this blog who have been tricked into believing that humans are not causing climate change, I recommend,
‘Climate change: A guide for the perplexed’http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/dn11462“So for those who are not sure what to believe, here is our round-up of the 26 most common climate myths and misconceptions.”
(hat tip to DeSmogBlog’s site)
I suggest starting with the myth: ‘Many leading scientists question climate change’.